Ventadour Castle

Château de Ventadour stands on Rocher Rolandy, a 70-metre-high spur above the confluence of the Ardèche and Fontaulière rivers, in the commune of Meyras.
Its original name was "Château de Meyras". In the 19th century, it took on the name of one of the most powerful families who last inhabited it, the Dukes of Ventadour.
It was brutally dismantled in the 1700s, probably to prevent it being used as a refuge by armed bands hostile to the King, after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
It slowly fell into disrepair until the French Revolution. It was then sold as national property and used as a stone quarry, like many other monuments. And so began a long agony.
In 1968, Pierre Pottier, a former metalworker from the Aisne, fell in love with Ventadour.
With the money from a "Masterpieces in Danger" prize (the famous television programme), he bought the castle to restore it and planned to turn it into a cultural and educational centre dedicated to the Middle Ages, architecture and the stone trades...
All that remained were ruins overgrown with vegetation. An association was set up to save and rebuild it. A youth work camp was set up every summer...

This is the start of a wonderful adventure that we invite you to visit...
Since 1969, nearly 7,000 volunteers have taken part in the restoration work, which is now more than 4/5ths complete. Many young people have found their vocation here as architects, public works engineers or "Compagnons du devoir" in carpentry and stone-cutting.

Medieval events on Sundays during the summer.

The Château de Ventadour team is looking for volunteers for its ongoing restoration.